What a wonderful three weeks! We managed to consume so much history. We experienced a more than healthyshare of ancient history, gastronomic history, and even family history. We, strolled around old towns, hikedinto mountains, sipped countless cappuccinos, saw breathtaking coastal scenery,and even played dodge the tourist. We ate enough pizza and pasta to fill our carbohydrate intakenecessities for the rest of the year. The Italians themselves are probably the mostintensely passionate people on the planet. There is no such thing as a 'minor disagreement' here. An argument over who scored the winninggoal in the last football match will quickly escalate to an internationalcrisis. Their dedication to familyand food is inspiring. Where elsecan you expect to see your forty your old soon every night for family time overa 6 course dinner that took all day to make? They drive their Fiats and mopeds like they're trying toqualify for the next Formula 1 race. There is a marked absence of big chains (ie. McDonald's, Starbucks,etc...), so obviously they must be doing something right with the quality oftheir food and drink. And don't messwith the mid-afternoon naptime. Very few things can interrupt the country going for a rest every dayaround 1:30pm... maybe the Roma versus Milan match, and of course Nona. Nothing is done half-assed (ok maybecustomer service but we won't go there); they even look fabulous, always puttogether, even to run around the corner for more olive oil for Nona. We loved every minute of it and can'twait to go back.